Your Favorite Schools

Each year, roughly 0.2% of Kentucky students graduate with degrees in respiratory therapy.
That means an estimated 221 respiratory therapists graduate from Kentucky's 14 respiratory therapy schools each year.

Top Schools

Bellarmine University, which is located in Louisville, is the top-ranked school in Kentucky that has a respiratory therapy program. It received a ranking of 70th in the country in 2010.
14 students graduated with a degree in respiratory therapy from Bellarmine University in 2010.
Bellarmine University charged in-state students $30,310 in tuition fees per year.

The second-ranked school in Kentucky that has a respiratory therapy program is Morehead State University. Morehead State University, which was ranked 75th in the country in 2010, is located in Morehead.
In 2010, Morehead State University graduated 6 students from its respiratory therapy program.
Tuition at Morehead State University was $6,492 per year.

Northern Kentucky University, which was ranked 75th nationwide in 2010, is the third-ranked school in Kentucky that has a respiratory therapy program. It is located in Newport.
13 students graduated with degree in respiratory therapy from Northern Kentucky University in 2010.
Students at Northern Kentucky University paid $7,128 per year in tuition fees.

Cost

Tuition at Kentucky's respiratory therapy schools ranges from $30,310 per year to $3,120 per year. But, the average tuition is $5,609 per year.
The Kentucky respiratory therapy schools with the highest tuition rates in 2010 were:

Bellarmine University - located in Louisville, students are charged $30,310 per year

Northern Kentucky University - located in Newport, students are charged $7,128 per year

Morehead State University - located in Morehead, students are charged $6,492 per year

The lowest tuition rates at Kentucky respiratory therapy schools were charged at the following schools:

Ashland Community and Technical College - located in Ashland, students are charged $3,120 per year

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College - located in Elizabethtown, students are charged $3,120 per year

Madisonville Community College - located in Madisonville, students are charged $3,120 per year

A respiratory therapy degree from a Kentucky school... what next?

Most people who graduate from respiratory therapy school in Kentucky go on to work as a respiratory therapist.
If you decide to work as a respiratory therapist in Kentucky, you will be joining the ranks of approximately 2,160 Kentucky respiratory therapists as of 2010.
The Kentucky counties with the largest populations of respiratory therapists are:

Clark County - 810 respiratory therapists

Bourbon County - 300 respiratory therapists

Ballard County - 250 respiratory therapists

Projected Growth

The government projects that by 2018, the number of respiratory therapists in the state of Kentucky will grow to 2,550. This would require a 23% growth in the profession.

Salary

A respiratory therapist in Kentucky earns $44,110 per year on average.
However, this number is only an average. respiratory therapists in Kentucky had varying salaries from $30,780 to $62,870 per year in 2010.
The counties in Kentucky with the highest average salary for a respiratory therapist are:

Clark County - $46,720 per year

Daviess County - $45,910 per year

Bourbon County - $45,640 per year

The Kentucky counties with the lowest average salary for respiratory therapists are:

Ballard County - $39,760 per year

Adair County - $40,620 per year

Anderson County - $41,420 per year

More Information

Take a look at the graphs and charts below for additional Kentucky statistics regarding a career in respiratory therapy and to compare salaries with a variety of related fields such as health science or allied health.